Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
4.
Littleton
Thoughyouwon'tseeanyskyscrapers,Littletonhasbeenthisregion's''bigcity''sincethe
early 1800s. Back then the factories kept people warm by producing buckskin mittens and
gloves and woolen cloth—absolute necessities during a New Hampshire winter. An early
settler could also purchase an axe, then get on with the never-ending chore of chopping
firewood. Today the mills are gone, but Littleton's historical society (located at 2 Cottage
Street) and several examples of early architecture help recall the bygone era.
5.
Bethlehem
The drive soon begins to climb in earnest as Rte. 302 heads into the foothills of the White
Mountains. On the way, be sure to tour Bethlehem, a longtime resort area that lies halfway
up the granite shoulder of Mt. Agassiz. It was to this town at the turn of the century that
many people suffering from hay fever—presidents and poets among them—came by the
hundredstoescapetheilleffectsofsummertime pollen.Awalkthroughthethickstandsof
evergreens here—which drop their pollen in springtime and are free of it by summer—will
quickly confirm the opinion of those earlier visitors: The fresh air truly is invigorating.
The terrain turns wonderfully wild and rugged as the drive rolls onward and upward
to the Presidential Range, the tallest peaks of the White Mountains. Rocky and bruised by
the often brutal climate, the summits slice the sky all along the eastern horizon. The seem-
ingly endless woodlands in this region are protected as part of the White Mountain Nation-
al Forest, a vast tract that stretches into Maine.
The Trestle Trail, one of the first places to sample the forest on foot, begins near the
town of Twin Mountains. Though fairly short, the pathway wends past a varied array of
plantlife:patchesofwildsarsaparillas,ferns,Canadamayflowers,andstandsofredmaple,
birch, and balsam trees.
6.
Bretton Woods
“The second-greatest show on earth” was P. T. Barnum's assessment of the view from atop
Mt. Washington. To decide for yourself, take a ride on the historic Cog Railway. It departs
from Bretton Woods and huffs and puffs as it inches all the way up to Mt. Washington's
lofty 6,288-foot peak. Mixed forests yield to stunted evergreens along the way, until above
the timberline only tundra plants can survive. Hardy well-equipped hikers can descend via
the Jewell Trail, which skirts the 1,600-foot cliffs of the Great Gulf on the way back to
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